Josh Hutcherson: My ‘Hunger Games’ tears are real

You say you want a revolution. It’s helpful to bring Kleenex, or so learned Josh Hutcherson.

He says that during a pivotal scene in “The Hunger Games: Mockingjay — Part 1,” he let the waterworks flow. “Yes, the tears were real,” Hutcherson says. “Once you’re in that highly emotional state and feel as though you’ve lost everything, it’s easy to bring the tears.”

This film finds his character, Peeta Mellark, captured by the Capitol and being manipulated as a propaganda tool. It’s a character Hutcherson respects, but he isn’t exactly like Peeta in real life.

“In this movie, he’s brainwashed and tortured. He fights the good fight. I hope I’d be that way,” he says. “But how we differ is that he’s a baker. I’m not that good a baker. But I asked Liam Hemsworth [who plays Gale]. His first job was as a baker.”

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The box office champion two weekends in a row, “Mockingjay — Part 1″ is shaping up as one of the year’s biggest hits. The franchise made a star of Hutcherson, who is reflective about his fame. “I think there is some compromise,” he says. “There’s a fairly large sacrifice with the attention and loss of anonymity.”

Things are different when you’re just an up-and-comer. “You don’t value anonymity. Once you lose it, life changes,” he said. “People know you before you walk into a room. They think they know about your life. You’re very exposed, and only you know what’s true and not true. That was never really the plan I had for my life.”

What was his plan? “I just wanted to make interesting movies, meet people and tell stories.”